Yuasa counters the cold

December 16, 2015

By By Liz Keener

Manufacturer introduces new batteries, chargers at AIMExpo

While sitting inside the Orange County Convention Center on a warm and sunny October morning in Orlando, it was hard to think about temperatures below freezing. But with me being from Minnesota, and the Yuasa crew hailing from Pennsylvania, we all knew the cold is coming to the north sooner rather than later.

Yuasa’s new YIX20HL AGM battery is designed for cold weather use.

The use of snowmobiles, ATVs and side-by-sides in these extreme temperatures is what drove Yuasa to develop its new YIX20HL AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery. The new battery delivers additional cranking power in the cold, with tests confirming its success at temperatures as low as 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

Of course, snowmobiles have always been used in below-zero temperatures, but ATVs and side-by-sides are also used year-round, and in the winter, they’re frequently used for hunting and snowplowing, during which riders oftentimes need the vehicles to start in the cold.

The YIX20HL provides 320 cold cranking amps (CCAs) at zero degrees, a 10-amp improvement from previous versions, Raybuck said. The cycle life has also been improved, and the self-discharge rate has been lowered, offering greater residual capacity for improved performance after periods of inactivity. The YIX20HL is rated at 18 amp-hours (Ah) and 12 volts. It’s a direct replacement in any vehicle using a Yuasa YTX20L or YTX20HL, or a similar size battery from another manufacturer.

GYZ expansion

In addition to the new YIX20HL, Yuasa also showcased an expanded GYZ Series lineup. The GYZ16H fits the same footprint as Yuasa’s YTX14 and YTX14-BS batteries — the top selling batteries in the powersports industry.

 The GYZ16H allows for the use of high-powered accessories on powersports vehicles.

“They can upgrade from the 14 to the 16,” Raybuck said.

The GYZ16H has an additional 4 Ah and 40 CCA, which allows for the addition of high-power accessories like winches, lights, GPS and audio systems.

The GYZ16H was originally designed as an OEM battery for most Honda Rubicon ATVs and has been chosen as the factory-installed battery for the Pioneer 1000s. However, Yuasa reports the AGM battery would also work well in a motorcycle, where extra starting power and vibration resistance is important.

Because OEMs don’t have wiggle room to make their battery compartments larger, Yuasa incorporates taller plates that provide more surface area with the GYZ Series. With this expanded area, the GYZ batteries offer significantly increased power when compared to other AGM batteries of the same size.

“Right now we’re the only manufacturer that can make that battery,” reported AyKuan Okuma, senior director of Aftermarket Sales for Yuasa.

With H and HL terminal polarity configurations available, the GYZ16 fits a variety of powersports vehicles. And all GYZ Series batteries are manufactured in Laureldale, Pa.

Battery chargers

OEMs and consumers already put immense trust in Yuasa and its batteries, but the company decided that it wants to be a full-service charging provider.

“We want to make a one-stop shop to buy the battery and accessories from Yuasa,” Okuma said.

To that end, Yuasa knew battery chargers/maintainers would be the perfect complement to its battery lineup. Yuasa staff looked at partnering with an outside battery charger company, but they couldn’t find what they were seeking. The battery chargers tested didn’t have the tolerance Yuasa sought, and they weren’t fully charging the batteries. Knowing this, and Yuasa’s reputation for value, durability and reliability, Yuasa decided to go it alone and develop its own battery chargers/maintainers.

“These newer batteries, to get the life out of them, you really need the optimum charge,” Raybuck explained.

The two new automatic battery chargers/maintainers developed by Yuasa are specifically designed for today’s AGM batteries. While they were created to be used with Yuasa’s batteries, they will work on other AGM units, Raybuck said, and they have the capacity to power up single and two-battery units.

Available are an easy-to-use 3-amp model and a 2-amp model. They each have an OEM-approved five-stage charging algorithm that saves time and energy. Both feature a five-year warranty.